Procedure for children at possible risk

Procedure for children at possible risk of Abuse

This procedure applies to any paid member of staff, student or volunteer who may be concerned about the safety and protection of a child.

Purpose and aim of this procedure

We aim to ensure those children who attend Binstead Stepping Stones Preschool and any other children who may come to the attention of Binstead Stepping Stones, receive the protection and support they need if they are at risk of abuse.

This procedure provides clear direction to staff, students and volunteers at Binstead Stepping Stones if they have concerns that a child is in need of protection.

Different types of abuse

Physical abuse is violence causing injury or occurring regularly during childhood. It happens when:

A child is hurt or injured by being hit, shaken, squeezed, thrown, burned, scalded, bitten or cut
Someone tries to drown or suffocate a child
Someone gives a child poison, alcohol or inappropriate drugs
Someone fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

In some cases the injuries will be caused deliberately. In others they may be accidental but caused by the child being knowingly put at risk.

Sexual abuse occurs when someone uses power or control to involve a child in sexual activity in order to gratify the abusers own sexual, emotional or financial needs or desires. It may include:

Forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what’s happening
Encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways
Showing children pornographic material or involving them in the production of such material
Involving children in watching other people’s sexual activity or inappropriate discussions about sexual matters.

Emotional abuse is persistent or severe emotional ill-treatment of a child that is likely to cause serious harm to his/her development. It may include:

Persistently denying the child love and affection
Regularly making the child feel frightened by shouting, threats or any other means
Hurting another person or a pet in order to distress a child
Being so over-protective towards the child that he/she is unable to develop or lead a normal life
Exploiting or corrupting a child, e.g. by involving him/her in illegal behaviour
Conveying to a child the message that he/she is worthless, unlovable, inadequate, or his/her only value is to meet the needs of another person. This may or may not include racist, homophobic or other forms of abuse.

Neglect involves persistently failing to meet a child’s physical, psychological or emotional needs. It may include:

Failing to ensure that a child’s basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, health care, hygiene and education are met
Failing to provide appropriate supervision to keep a child out of danger. This includes lack of supervision of particular activities or leaving a child alone in the house.

Ways that abuse might be brought to your attention

A child might make a direct disclosure about him or herself
A child might make a direct disclosure about another child
A child might offer information that is worrying but not a direct disclosure
A member of staff might be concerned about a child’s appearance or behaviour or about the behaviour of a parent or carer towards a child
A parent or carers might make a disclosure about abuse that a child is suffering or at risk of suffering
A parent might offer information about a child that is worrying but not a direct disclosure.

Talking to a child who has told you that he/she or another child is being abused

Reassure the child that telling someone about it was the right thing to do
Tell him/her that you now have to do what you can to keep him/her (or the child who is subject of the allegation) safe
Let the child know what you are going to do next and who else needs to know about it
Let the child tell his or her whole story. Don’t try to investigate or quiz the child, but make sure that you are clear as to what he/she is saying
Ask the child what he/she would like to happen as a result of what he/she has said, but don’t make or infer promises you can’t keep
Give the child the ChildLine phone number (if appropriate): 0800 1111
Record word for word what the child says, recording in a clear and understandable manner, filling out a ‘reporting concerns about a child’ form, located in the safeguarding folder in the office and pass completed form onto one of the settings DSL’s.

Helping a child in immediate danger or in need of emergency medical attention

If the child is in immediate danger and is with you, remain with him/her and call the police
If the child is elsewhere, contact the police and explain the situation to them
If he/she needs emergency medical attention, call an ambulance and, while you are waiting for it to arrive, get help from a qualified first aider
If the first aider is not available, use any first aid knowledge that you may have yourself to help the child
You also need to contact one of the DSL’s (Designated Safeguarding Leads) Alison or Jackie, to let them know what is happening, if they are unaware.

A decision will need to be made about who should inform the child’s family and the local authority children’s social care department (preferably a DSL), and when they should be informed. If you have involved the police and/or the health services, they should be part of this decision. Consider the welfare of the child in your decision making as the highest priority.

Issues that will need to be taken into account are:

The child’s wishes and feelings
The parents right to know (unless this would place the child or someone else in danger, or would interfere with a criminal investigation)
The impact of telling or not telling the parent
The current assessment of the risk to the child and the source of that risk
Any risk management plans that currently exist.

Once any immediate danger or emergency medical need has been dealt with, they follow the steps set out in the flowchart at the end of this document.

Keeping a record of your concerns

Record word for word what the child says, recording in a clear and understandable manner, filling out a ‘reporting concerns about a child’ form, located in the safeguarding folder in the office and pass completed form onto one of the settings DSL’s. The relevant sections of the form should be completed and signed at each stage of the procedure and ideally the individual who witnessed the disclosure or abuse will fill out the form but the settings DSL can support in you with this. The form should be signed and dated by all those involved in its completion and kept confidentially on the child’s file. The name of the person making the notes should be written alongside each entry.

All records of this nature must be kept in the locked filing cabinet within the office.

This completed form can be used to forward information to the statutory child protection authorities if a referral to them is needed.

Useful contact details

Manager:

Alison Balmer – 07590849369

Deputy Manager:

Sarah Green

Named DSL’s:

Alison Balmer - 07590849369

Sarah Green

Local police service:

Newport Police Station, Address: High Street, Newport, PO30 1SZ, if an emergency phone 999

Local authority children’s reception team:

Public number: 0300 300 0117

Professionals number: 0300 300 0901

multi agency safeguarding hub (MASH)

Or contacted the named social worker

Isle of Wight Safeguarding Children’spartnership(IOWSCP):

General information number: 01983 814545

Email: SCP@iow.gov.uk

web: www.iowscp.org.uk

NSPCC:

Helpline: 0808 800 5000

Email: help@nspcc.org.uk

Reporting a concern via NSPCC online: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-you-can-do/report-abuse/report-abuse-online/

For deaf or hard of hearing: SignVideo using British Sign Language is available via the NSPCC website - https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-you-can-do/report-abuse/

ChildLine (for children and young people):

Telephone: 0800 1111

Textphone: 0800 400 222

www.childline.org.uk

LADO (Local Area Designated Officer):

Telephone: 01962 876364

Email: child.protiction@hants.gov.uk

Reporting child protection concerns

If a child is in need of emergency medical attention or in immediate danger, follow the procedure set out in the section on helping a child in immediate danger or in need of emergency medical attention.

You should then take steps set out in the flowchart on the next page to ensure the concern is dealt with.

We can also access the Early help process.Link is provided for parents to see what its all about and how it could help you and your family https://www.iow.gov.uk/Residents/Care-Support-and-Housing/SEND-Reforms/Support-and-Advice-for-Families/About-Early-Help

This procedure was reviewed and updated on 28.08.2024 Review date: Sept 2025